Probable cause hearing set in federal court for brother of UGA murder suspect

By Joe Johnson

A U.S. Magistrate today ordered a preliminary hearing for Diego Ibarra, brother of the suspected killer of a student on the University Georgia campus.

He and the suspect, Jose Ibarra, are Venezuelan nationals who are in this country illegally.

The brothers were both arrested on Feb. 23 during the investigation of the murder the day before of 22-year-old Laken Riley, who was attacked while running on the trails near UGA's intramural fields.

Authorities say that Diego presented a fake green card when questioned at a South Mille Avenue apartment complex where he lived Jose, who was arrested and charged with murder and other crimes for Riley's death.

He was detained for today's hearing before Magistrate Judge Charles Weigle at U.S. District Court in Macon, who scheduled a standard preliminary hearing for Thursday.

According to a federal criminal complaint and sworn affidavit, since entering the country, Diego Ibarra had been arrested three times by Athens-Clarke County police: on Sept. 25 for DUI and driving without a license; on Oct. 27 for theft by shoplifting; and on Dec. 8 for failure to appear in court.

If convicted on the possession of a fraudulent document charge, Diego faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.